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Tasks: What is Spoken Word Poetry?

Discuss:

This TedX performance of Javon Johnson raises some serious questions about what it is like to grow up black in the USA.

Watch the video first (at least twice). Then, discuss the questions below in groups / in class.

Video: TEDxLoyolaMarymountU - Javon Johnson, Spoken word artist (2/2) (youtube.com)

  1. What message is the artist trying to convey to his audience?
  2. What do you notice about the use of language?
  3. Identify and make a list of various literary devices that he uses in his performance (see list below). How does the use of these devices emphasise the meaning of the poem?
  4. What do you notice about the use of voice (volume, tone, intonation, pacing, etc.)? What is the effect?
  5. How does he communicate with the audience besides using words?
Some poetic devices often used in spoken word poetry.

Repetition: Repetition of key words or phrases in order to hammer home a message. E.g. in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech the phrase ‘I have a dream…’ is repeated.

Alliteration: The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. E.g. ‘Peter Pepper picked a peck of pickled peppers.’

Assonance: The repetition of a vowel sound in two or more neighboring words or syllables. E.g. ‘Lean, mean, fighting machine.’

Comparison:

  • Metaphor: a word or a phrase used to describe something as if it were something else. E.g. ‘The curtain of night fell upon us.’
  • Simile: describes something by comparing it to something else, using ‘like’ or ‘as’. E.g. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’

Allusion: A short, indirect reference to a person, place, historical event etc, the significance of which the speaker expects the audience to know. E.g. ‘We do serious work in my classroom. It isn’t the Mickey Mouse Club over here.'

Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing. E.g. ‘The buzzing bee’ or animal sounds like ‘meow’ or ‘oink.’

Hyperbole: Exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. E.g. ‘Your suitcase weighs a ton.’

Personification: An idea or thing is described as if it had human characteristics. E.g. ‘My alarm yelled at me this morning.’

You can find a fuller list of literary devices here.

Write:

  1. Write a text where you analyse a performance of a spoken word poem. Comment on the use of literary devices and on the performance itself (i.e. the use body language, pitch, volume, pauses, pacing, intonation etc). What is the message in the poem? What is your overall impression of the performance?

    You will find plenty of spoken word poetry on the internet, but why not choose one of these:

    Taylor Mali: What Teachers Make
    Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye: When Love Arrives
    Lee Mokobe: A powerful poetry about what it feels like to be transgender

    OR...
  2. If you have it in you: Write your own spoken word poetry. Find a topic you would like to explore and write down your thoughts. Use various literary devices in your text to help you bring out your message. Use the videos above as inspiration. When you are happy with the text, record it and see how it turns out.


Drag and Drop:

Literary devices are used to create a special and pointed effect in writing and to help readers understand texts on a deeper level. Remember, you can also use literary devices to spice up your writing.

Go through the literary devices in the box above before you do the exercise.

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